Skies of Arcadia Beyond The Horizon
by Tidesinger
Summary: Set ten years after Vyse defeated Zelos, then evil Lord Nokra is preparing to threaten Arcadia with the Black Gigas - The world's last hope lies with a group of unsuspecting young Air Pirates


****

Skies of Arcadia - Beyond the Horizon

Tide surveyed the horizon carefully, scanning for signs of any ships. Nothing but the clear blue skies greeting his eyes, he grunted, and turned to climb down the ladder that would take him back to the deck. He hated the crows nest. He'd always had a fear of heights, and it was bad enough to be out here in Mid Ocean to start with, let alone being up in that god-forsaken part of the ship as well.

Finally his boots scraped across the deck. Breathing heavily, he made his way to the cabin.

"See anything?" asked a female voice.

"Nope. The skies are empty all around. No ships for miles."

"Hrm..." Arsenal rubbed her chin thoughtfully, "Wonder why that is? Mid-Ocean is usually crawling with ships."

"Maybe," Delphi chipped in, keeping a firm grip on the wheel, "black pirates are on the prowl."

Arsenal smiled, "I hope so. It's been too long since we saw any action."

Tide smiled weakly, "How can you be so enthusiastic about meeting a gang of cut-throats who'll probably try to kill us?"

"It's a part of the job. You'll understand that when you become a captain. Although I reckon you'll have to get over your fear of heights."

"That's why you keep sending me up there, isn't it? To try and cure me."

Delphi gave a small chuckle, "You'll probably get him killed. Can you remember that time he was on the ladder for about three hours? He was right near the top, and wouldn't budge."

Tide's cheeks flushed, "Yeah, well..."

"Well what?" Arsenal had a wide grin spread across her face.

"Well. It's not my fault I'm scared of what's... down there. I lost my family out here, remember?"

"Of course. But are you really going to let that prevent you from doing anything with your life?" Delphi's eyes didn't leave the horizon. Not that it probably mattered. Out in Mid-Ocean, the only thing you would ever hit was a warm breeze.

"No... but... you know what they say. The air pressure down there is so intense that it completely crushes anything that falls down into it."

Arsenal nodded, "It's a good incentive to get higher, don't you think? I think you should go back to the crows nest, laddie."

Tide glared at her, "You know... you might be my captain and all... But sometimes I really hate you."

With that, he left the cabin. 

***

His jacket blew out behind him in the breeze, and his eyes focused on a dot on the horizon. He wasn't sure what it was because the sun was directly behind it, but he didn't doubt that there was something out there. His brown hair whipped maddeningly into his eyes, and he quickly swept it aside.

Whatever it was, it turned out of the sunlight, revealing itself. Now that he could see it clearly, he was stunned by how close it actually was. It was another ship, much like the one that he was on. But instead of the flag of the Blue Rogues, it bore the unmistakable white insignia of a skull and crossed swords against a black canvas.

"Black pirates, port side!" he cried.

In less than a few moments, Delphi was on deck. Tide could see Arsenal through the cabin window, clutching the wheel tightly. The expression on her face registered sheer delight.

Spinning, he grasped the ladder, and placing a boot on either side, slid down onto the deck.

"Are they coming in to board us?"

"I don't think so," answered Delphi, "It looks like they want to play with the cannons. Let's oblige them."

Tide nodded, "Okay. I'll take port cannons one and two."

"Gotcha. I'll take the main cannon."

They split up, dashing to their posts.

Loading the heavy cannonball into the barrel of the cannon, Tide took a step back. The black pirate ship was almost directly alongside theirs. It sailed through the air, past them entirely, and began to circle around.

"They're heading behind us!" cried Delphi, "If they hit the engines, we're done for!"

Arsenal seemed to have noticed as well. She spun the wheel hard left, the ship turning a tight circle to end up behind the pirate ship.

"Perfect!" Delphi fired the main cannon, the cannonball screaming through the air. It struck the pirate ship's stern, smashing through the wooden hull. It apparently missed the engines, and the ship swung hard to starboard, firing three cannons. Tide found himself searching for the cannonballs, but they struck the ship before he could see them. One smashed into the mast, splintering the wood, and carried on to smash the cabin window. Arsenal dodged aside as shards of razor-sharp glass exploded towards her. After a tense moment, she reappeared, an angry look flashing across her face.

The other shots had apparently missed, and Tide found himself running to the cannons on the other side of the deck, loading them, and firing off two rounds. He saw one smash into a cannon on the pirate ship, followed by a muffled explosion, and a large part of the hull blew outwards.

"Good shot!" shouted Delphi.

Where his other shot had gone, he had no idea. He quickly loaded the cannons again as the pirate ship moved alongside theirs, and began to move closer.

"They can see that their ship can't beat ours!" called Arsenal through the broken window, "They're trying to board us!"

Delphi suddenly appeared alongside him, "Okay Tide. We'll fire both of these cannons together, okay? Hopefully we'll cause a lot of damage from this close!"

Apparently, the black pirates had the same thing in mind. The two remaining cannons fired, one crashing into the hull below Tide and Delphi, knocking them both dangerously off-balance. The other blew by Tide's head; he felt the wind as the cannonball blew frighteningly close to his skull. He fell over backwards, landing hard on the deck. He heard another shot being fired, and saw that Delphi had just fired off her cannon. Getting quickly to his feet, he fired his, watched as it crashed into their mast, pulling down the billowed, black sails. He noticed a large hole near the bow were Delphi's cannonball had struck.

"Hold on!" called Arsenal, "I'm turning!"

"Stop! You'll expose our engines!" cried Delphi in alarm.

"It's better than being shredded here!" Arsenal spun the wheel hard left again, and the ship began a tight turn. The pirate ship followed suit, falling in slightly behind them.

Tide heard the rigging creak, and he scrambled to the stern of the ship. The pirate ship was directly behind now, and he could see a scurry of activity as the pirates loaded the cannon on their bow. He felt his gut tense as the barrel of the cannon vanished behind a plume of smoke, and a moment later a hole was torn in the stern of the ship. Peering over the railing, he saw a wide, splintered hole. He sighed with relief when he realised that it was below the engines.

But already he could see that the black pirates were loading their cannon again.

Suddenly, Tide felt the deck lurch hard portside, and it was all that he could do to stop himself from falling over the railings. Their ship had started descending, below the firing line of the black pirates.

"Drop the sails!" he heard Arsenal call. He turned, watching as they fell loosely onto the deck. The ship immediately began to slow.

Tide turned again, watching as the black pirates began to descend. Moving at a far quicker speed, they began to fly by entirely. A cannon fired, and judging from the way the pirate ship rocked, Delphi had been the one to fire it.

He drew back as the pirate ships hull burst into flames, and began to lose altitude. He ran to the railings, and watched it fall, disappearing into the thick clouds below...

***

The three of them were sitting around a small table in the bar of Sailor's Island. They could hear merchants bartering with one another through the open windows, and the passing of an occasional ship.

"What I don't get," said Tide, sipping his drink of Loqua, "is why the pirate ship was still going faster than us. I mean, I saw my cannonball pull down the sails. Why didn't it slow down like we did when you gave the order to drop the sails?"

Arsenal shrugged, "To be honest, I have no idea. But if they have a yellow moonstone generator, then in all likeliness they can power the engines by electricity."

"That'd make sense," said Delphi, nodding. She raised her own drink of Loqua slowly to her lips.

"Well, I think it's time we moved. I'm gonna go and oversee the repairs to the Guardian."

Delphi nodded, "Okay. And what about Tide and me?"

"See if you can dig up any new cannons, and get him," she nodded her head towards Tide, "a cutlass or something. He needs a weapon."

"Aye aye."

***

Arsenal had left the two of them standing outside the port. Thick, heavy wrought iron doors were now between them and their ship, the Guardian.

"So, where first?" asked Tide.

"I guess our priority is a weapon for you. The ship is already armed, so it can wait."

"Okay." he began marching towards the lighthouse, crossing a sturdy wooden bridge that connected the two halves of Sailor's Island. Delphi followed him.

"It's this way," she said, suddenly turning left between two large buildings. Tide followed her round, spotting the insignia of a weapons trader just above a doorway.

"In here." she opened the door, and stepped inside. Tide followed her, and closed the door behind him.

The merchant looked at them carefully from behind his counter. He was a balding, middle-aged man of about thirty. His dirty vest and ragged appearance seemed fitting in this place. The building on the inside was shabby; weapons and moonstones lay strewn out behind him, some only half finished. Turning, Tide saw weapons of all descriptions lining the walls. Cutlasses, boomerangs, swords, spears, even a small pistol. Tide felt a thrill to know that he was going to walk out of here carrying one.

"What can I get ya?" asked the merchant suddenly.

"A weapon," answered Delphi, "for my friend here."

"Hmm, bit of a scrawny kid, ain't he? Doesn't want anything too heavy, or he'll not be able to carry it."

"So what do you recommend?" asked Tide hotly. He could feel his temper rising, and he sensed Delphi tensing up beside him.

"For a kid of your build? Well...." he leant onto the counter, holding his head in close, as though he was sharing a secret with them.

"We don't have time for games." snapped Tide, walking close and slamming his fist on the counter, "D'ya want any Gold or not? I'm sure that we could find some good weapons on Windmill Island."

"Fair point, laddie, fair point. Might I suggest," he bent underneath the counter, and straightened up carrying what looked like, to Tide at least, two swords grafted together by the handles.

"Twin blade," said the merchant, "only one in the world like it. Made it myself three years back. Lightweight, with a sharp blade. You won't find one better."

Tide took it, grasping the handle in the middle. Although the weapon was light, it felt awkward and cumbersome in his hands.

"No thanks, I get the feeling I'll cut myself in two when I use it, as well as my opponent." he handed it back, "Anything else?"

"As a matter o'fact I have," he bent under the counter again, this time straightening up carrying two long daggers, "These were brought in two days ago by a merchant of Nasr. Pretty good quality, said to have been found in the pyramid temple they have over there."

Tide took these weapons, holding them carefully in each hand. They certainly felt good, and they weren't heavy in the slightest. He tested them out, slashing the air beside him.

"I like them," he said, "I'll take them."

"That'll be two thousand gold then, please."

"Hrm, that's kinda expensive you know," said Delphi conversationally.

"It's the cheapest you'll get here, I'm running a business after all."

"Don't worry about it, Del," said Tide, rummaging through his pockets. He withdrew several large gold coins, and dropped them on the counter.

"We won't be seeing you." he said to the merchant, then turned to walk out the door, Delphi close behind.

***

"Right, now for the cannons." said Delphi, "I'm glad that's over with. Remind me not to go shopping with you again."

"Yeah, sure," Tide grinned, carefully sliding the daggers into his belt, "Where's the ship parts shop?"

"Erm, actually, I want you to go back to the Guardian."

"Aw, why?" Tide's grin suddenly slipped from his face.

"I want you to help Arsenal with the ship. She might be the captain, but she can't handle it alone."

Tide seemed to deflate a little, "Fine, but how're you gonna get the cannons to the ship without my help?"

"I know some people on this island, including the ship parts merchant. I'm sure I'll have plenty of help."

Grumbling, Tide turned and began to head for the port.

***

The Guardian sailed through the air with hardly any sound. The sails were full, and the strong wind carried her steadily north.

Tide was on deck, leaning against the railing, staring down to the clouds below that covered Deep Sky. His mind had deserted him, and he didn't even realise somebody was standing next to him for almost a full two minutes.

"Something on your mind?"

Tide jumped, and turned, "Hey, Captain."

"It's Arsenal. Please, drop the formalities."

"Sure thing." he turned again, pressing his weight onto the cold steel bars again.

"I asked if something's on your mind?" she repeated.

"I know," answered Tide, shrugging, "Nothing's on my mind, really. Just stupid thoughts."

Arsenal turned her back to the sky, and vaulted onto the railing so that she was sitting down next to him. She spent several moments trying to catch his eye, and he did his best to ignore her.

"Oh, come on." she sighed, exasperated, "Something's up. Do you want me to send you into the crows nest?"

"Do what you have to." he answered blankly.

Arsenal stared at him for a moment. She hadn't expected that answer, and his neutral attitude had thrown her off.

"Okay," she said coolly, "Be like that. You know where I am if you change your mind."

Tide didn't answer, so she turned and started to walk back to the cabin. Her palm had just grasped the handle when she heard his voice. It came out almost in a choke.

"It was here..."

She turned on the spot, "What?"

"It was here... where they died." a tear began to snake it's way down his cheek. Arsenal suddenly felt very awkward. She moved alongside him, and leant on the railings beside him, following his gaze into Deep Sky.

"Your parents?" she asked tentatively.

He nodded slowly, "I never expected to come out here so soon. I thought we'd be heading south next, not north." he gave a wry smile, "Sorry." he managed, "I know it's not like an Air Pirate to get all mushy."

"No no, that's alright. But," she paused, unsure about whether to continue. She pressed on, "But how do you know this is the place? The skies are a large place."

"I know. But you remember ten years ago?"

The date seemed to register in Arsenal's mind.

"The Rains?"

He nodded, "That's right. Ten years ago, Galcian called forth the Rains of Destruction from the yellow moon, completely destroying Valua."

"And your parents...?"

"Air Pirates. They were quite acclaimed, although their reputation is nothing compared to that of Captain Vyse. They were in Valua when the rains fell."

"They were in the Grand Fortress?"

"No," he shook his head, "they were preparing to raid one of the old Spellships just south of it. That's when the Rains came."

Arsenal felt even more awkward than before.

"Tide, I'm so sorry... I had no idea."

He managed another smile, "Well... It's no good dwelling on the past is it, Captain?"

Arsenal said nothing, and Tide's smile slowly slipped from his face to be replaced by a grimace.

"Let's go," he said, "I've had enough of this place."

***

"You have to admit, Emperor Enrique has done quite a job."

Delphi steered the ship carefully over the blasted landscape below, slowing it down once they were over a large settlement.

"He and Empress Moegi have had a lot to deal with, what with the rebuilding." said Arsenal, peering out of the new glass of the window.

Tide stepped up beside them.

"Strange, isn't it? Valua's thirst for power ultimately condemned them to this."

The royal palace had been rebuilt, standing alone on a small isle over Deep Sky. Surrounding it, below a ring of mountains, was the rebuilt city of Valua. Despite all of the rebuilding, the three of them could see large craters on the mountainsides, and knew in their hearts that the destruction to the rest of the continent was probably far greater.

"Are we landing?" asked Tide.

"No, we're going to go over the mountains and head for Crescent Isle." answered Delphi.

"But isn't that..."

"Captain Vyse's base?" interrupted Arsenal, "Yes, it is."

Tide felt a tingle shoot up his spine.

"Erm, you might want to put that plan on hold for a while." Delphi's voice was anxious.

"What's wrong?" Arsenal turned to face her.

"Dead ahead. Some kind of giant bird. Looks like it's attacking those merchant vessels up there."

"Well that settles it then. Full speed ahead! Tide, ready the cannons!"

"Aye aye!"

He dashed out the door, onto the deck.

Arsenal watched him go, and gasped in surprise as a monster flew onto deck behind him.

"Delphi, stay here. Continue on the present course."

"Aye aye."

Arsenal dashed out of the door.

***

Tide had, of course, already spotted the monster. In an instant, he had drawn the daggers from his belt, poised to fight.

Arsenal appeared beside him, unsheathing a short sword from the scabbard at her hip.

"You think we can take it?" she asked.

Tide measured it up. It looked, to him, like a floating, thorny Loquat berry. It puffed up threateningly.

"Yeah, I think we can." he slid the blades of his daggers together.

"We're in yellow moonstone territory. You need a moonstone that can counter electricity."

Tide shrugged, and flicked the blades of his weapons, watching them turn purple.

"I'll give ice a try," he said, "At any rate, it's better than water."

"Ladies first." Tide swept his blade towards the creature, indicating for Arsenal to move towards it.

Without wasting another moment, she dashed towards it, held her sword high, and brought it down with all of her strength.

The creature sped aside, dodging the blow. Arsenal's momentum forced her on, and she fell forwards over her sword.

Tide had seen enough. Darting forward, he sliced with one of his daggers, cutting neatly into the creature. He saw no signs of visible harm to it; his blade had sliced clean through, yet there wasn't a mark on it. Gritting his teeth, he slashed with his other dagger, with much the same result.

Tide distantly saw Arsenal getting back to her feet when his vision swam black, save for, beneath his feet, a geometrical arrangement of a red triangle with a red circle at each tip, the whole shape completely encompassed within another circle.

"So this is Pyri." he muttered to himself.

A flame suddenly tore up around him, searing his skin. He felt his eyes watering as the heat wrapped itself around him. Beads of sweat broke out across his forehead; he thought he might collapse at any second.

Then as suddenly as it had begun, the torment subsided, and he found himself back on the deck of the Guardian. Disorientated, he fell to the floor, his daggers skidding away from him.

The berry was bearing down upon him. It was close, much too close. It puffed itself up, looking like it was about to explode. Its thorns wobbled dangerously, threatening to shoot out at him.

But then something happened. A blade slashed through it, slicing it neatly into two. The two pieces floated gently to the deck, and then vanished. Arsenal was standing before him, her expression amused.

"On your feet, boy. We've got us a bird to shoot down."

***

Swaying ominously, Tide felt for all the world like he was going to throw up. Arsenal helped him towards the cabin, and pushed him inside.

"What's up?" asked Delphi, craning her neck to watch them.

"You saw what happened?"

"Yeah, it used Pyri on him, didn't it?"

Arsenal nodded, "That's right. And he's in no fit state to man the cannons."

"You're going to take that thing on alone?"

"Ha, no, although I'd love to try," Arsenal's eyes shone with excitement.

"Then what?"

"He's no good out there right now. So he can stay in here." Arsenal pointed to Tide.

Delphi turned on Arsenal, disbelief creeping over her face.

"Are you saying what I think you're saying?!"

Arsenal smiled, "Got it, did ya? That's right, Delphi. He's gonna be the helmsman."

Tide's eyes bulged from where he now lay on the floor, "Captain, you're kidding, right?"

"No, I'm not. Now come on, we need your help. Get on your feet - there, that's right - and go take the wheel."

"Arsenal, this is insane. He's never done this before." Delphi stepped away from the wheel as Tide took her place.

"Then now is a good time for him to learn. I need you on the cannons with me."

"Okay, I'll be right out." said Delphi, defeated. Arsenal walked out the door, but Delphi hung back.

"Tide, be careful. I don't know what this bird can do, so try keeping your distance. Just make sure our cannons can hit it."

He nodded, his grip on the wheel tightening. His knuckles were turning steadily white. After a moments hesitation, Delphi stepped out onto the deck, closing the door behind her.

***

Tide spun the wheel hard left, holding tightly as the bow of the Guardian lurched portside. He wanted to come up alongside the gigantic bird from the side, whilst it was busy attacking the merchant vessels. He risked a glance to Delphi and Arsenal, and watched them load the cannons. Arsenal then dashed to the bow, and loaded the torpedoes that they'd bought from Sailor's Island.

Taking the opportunity to get a look at the bird before the battle, he took in its bright red feathers, and white plumage on its underside. It looked almost like a large parrot.

__

It's a Roc, he realised, _But nobody's seen one for ten years; and the last one was high over Ixa'Taka. Why would it be out here now?_

Shoving his thoughts aside, he sailed the Guardian steadily closer. One more minute would bring the Guardian directly alongside.

He found himself counting off the seconds. On fifty five, Arsenal fired the torpedoes. They flew high into the air, out of sight, and Tide turned back to watch the Roc. It had apparently not noticed. Tide found himself wondering why it was so obsessive about the merchants.

Delphi fired the cannons, and Tide watched as they crashed into the side of the Roc. It screamed in pain and surprise, and turned to face the Guardian, the merchants apparently forgotten. Arsenal fired more cannons, which apparently missed as the Roc didn't react Flapping its wings, it hovered for a moment, and then began to swoop towards the ship. It was impossibly swift, and Tide jerked the wheel hard port again. Arsenal and Delphi were thrown to the deck, and the Roc blew by, it's talons slashing great tears in the sails, and pulling a great deal of rigging loose.

Gritting his teeth, Tide spun the wheel, bringing the Guardian directly behind the Roc. Arsenal jumped to her feet, dashing for the main cannon mounted on the bow. Delphi, on the other hand, looked straight up, and Tide leant forward to see what she was looking at. He saw two vapour trails, streaking for the Roc. He saw two explosions against its wings.

__

The torpedoes Arsenal fired earlier, he heard his mind tell him.

Dropping slightly, the Roc began to turn a tight circle, ending when it was directly facing the Guardian. It screamed, the shriek almost ear-splitting, and Tide was forced to clap his hands to his ears. Still the shriek worsened, and he was actually forced onto his knees.

He felt the Guardian begin to lurch, the deck no longer level. Forcing himself to his feet, he saw Arsenal and Delphi grasping onto the rigging, throwing desperate glances towards him.

Gripping the wheel, Tide levelled the ship, almost causing Delphi and Arsenal to tip over the side. Regaining their balance, they split up, and Arsenal fired the main cannon again, the volley striking the creature in it's forehead. Stunned, it seemed to hang in the air for several moments. It's head lolled back, and it's wings fell limp. Then it dropped, picking up speed as it fell, spiralling down into the depths of Deep Sky.

***

"Nice steering." Arsenal stepped into the cabin, followed closely by Delphi.

"Thanks," Tide managed a crooked smile, "nice shooting you two."

They smiled back at him. Delphi stepped beside him, "Want me to take over?" she asked. Tide nodded, and stepped away, allowing Delphi to take her place in front of the wheel.

Turning to look out the window, Tide saw the merchant vessels passing slowly by. Men were waving happily from behind the windows, and others were shouting their thanks. Tide waved back, and then turned to face Arsenal.

"So, Captain. On to Crescent Island?"

"Yes indeed. But you're looking pretty tired," she stared at him for a moment, considering something.

"Okay, go down the steps just back here, and you can have a nap for a while. You look pretty beat."

Tide followed her gaze to the wooden staircase that led down to the level below. As his eyes swept over it, he suddenly realised how tired he was, and how long it had been since he'd last rested.

"Thanks, Captain." he said softly, stepping down the staircase as fast as his weary legs would allow.

****

***

Tide awoke to the change from the sound of the engines. There was definitely something different, and it took him a moment to realise that the fast hydraulics were slowing. It could only mean that the ship was losing speed, or preparing to dock.

Carefully slipping from the hammock, he left the small room he had been in, and trotted up the steps to the cabin.

"Aha, back to the land of the living, I see?" Arsenal was positioned just behind Delphi, the red moon of Nasr visible through the window. Coming up onto the deck, Tide realised that it was, in fact, night time.

"How long was I asleep?" he asked, yawning heavily.

"I'd say about twelve hours," Delphi called back to him.

"And sleep like a rock you did. You missed us fighting a black pirate ship, lad." Arsenal grinned, her eyes ablaze.

Tide's eyes suddenly widened, "Why the hell didn't you wake me?!"

"No need. Two shots from our cannons and the little blighters ran." Tide tried not to notice how disappointed Arsenal sounded.

"Oh, yeah," Delphi chipped in, "Man, you snore loud. We could hear you over the engines. Sounded like a chainsaw or something."; she then imitated the sound. Arsenal laughed.

"She's right, you know. You want to see a doctor about that, I think. I doubt your girlfriend will be too happy with that noise next to her. She'll worry someone's trying to saw her head off."

Tide managed a small smile, "Erm, not to point out the obvious, but I don't have a girlfriend."

"Are you surprised?!" asked Delphi incredulously, "All the girls probably stay away from you. I wouldn't be surprised if you were heard over in Yafutoma."

"Thanks a lot," said Tide ruefully, "I can't help it, can I?" Deciding to change the subject, he said, "I heard the engines. We're slowing down, aren't we?"

"That's right. Crescent Isle is about two minutes away."

Tide walked up beside Delphi, peering out the window. Sure enough, he could see the crescent moon shaped rock that gave the island its name. It was black against the dull horizon.

"It's bigger than I imagined." he whispered.

"Remember, Vyse's first ship was the Delphinus. It could fit underneath the island, once the thing had been hollowed out."

"You're serious? But the Delphinus is _huge_."

Arsenal nodded, "Yep. And it fit quite easily. We shouldn't have a problem for space, now that Vyse has a smaller ship."

Tide shrugged, "You want a hand to dock?"

Arsenal shook her head, "Nah, it'll be okay. I've got it. All I'll have to do is toss the ropes to the Rogues already there, and they'll handle the rest."

She stepped outside, the open door allowing a cold breeze to enter the cabin, chilling Tide to the bone. He shuddered, and moved across the cabin to close the door.

"Mind if I talk to you?" asked Delphi.

"Erm, sure." answered Tide, somewhat surprised.

"Were you serious back there? About not having a girlfriend?"

Tide smiled sadly, "I have no-one." He stepped beside her, and peered up at the red moon, "Still, I guess she'll find me one day."

"Who's that?"

"The one."

"The one?" Delphi turned her head to stare at him, perplexed, "You're not into that whole fate and destiny stuff, are you?"

"Of course not. But I'm just waiting. I'll know her when I meet her."

"Fair enough, Tide, fair enough."

"What about you, anyway?" asked Tide, smirking, and raising an eyebrow.

"What about me?" asked Delphi coolly, brushing aside a lock of green hair.

Tide could barely contain a smile, "You know full well what. Anyone waiting for you back home?"

She grinned, "Sure. My pet Huskra."

Tide let out a small laugh, but managed to force it down, "So, that's it?"

"Well, apart from Arsenal, but she isn't exactly waiting for me, is she?"

Tide grinned, "You mean you two are..?"

Delphi gave him a harsh glare, "You don't want to finish that sentence."

"Fair enough," Tide was positively straining to keep a hold of himself, "I'm gonna go out on deck."

"Sure." Delphi tore her eyes from him, settling them back on Crescent Isle.

***

Kitnee Torres leant against the wooden barriers. If she leant forward enough, then looked down, it almost looked like she was floating over nothingness. Far below her, Deep Sky was invisible due to the darkness, and so instead she turned her attention to the red moon above.

She sighed, longing to feel a deck beneath her feet again, to feel the wheel of a ship in her hands, and to feel the loyalty of a crew that weren't just working for her, but were friends.

Angrily, she kicked a loose stone out over the gaping void. It wasn't fair. She'd had everything; her own ship, her own crew. All for what? To see it crash into this very island, ablaze, and to lose everyone she'd come to call her friends? She would have died herself, had her helmsman not thrown her from the ship, resulting in a fall into a dense clump of foliage. Barely conscious, she'd seen her ship crash into the side of Crescent Isle's mountain, ultimately falling into the depths of Deep Sky.

She would have her revenge, she had sworn it very night. Those Valuan cruisers would be destroyed, and so would the bastards that sent them after her. She could still remember the name of the ship that had delivered her ship, the Dragon Fang, the final blow.

__

The Grand Royal.

She realised that her hands had begun to dig into the wood, causing it to splinter around her fingers. Grumbling, she turned back to the base that had been her home ever since. Once Captain Vyse had learnt of her situation, and that she was a Blue Rogue, she had been welcomed with open arms.

Her head snapped round as she heard a noise some way above.

It sounded like a ship. At this time, it was unusual to have visitors. She withdrew two pistols from each holster, both buckled tightly around her thighs. She watched the skies carefully, and spotted a silhouette. It was pure back against the almost-black sky, and she had difficulty following it. Then, finally, it came into view, illuminated by the large torch sat on the ridge at the tip of the island. A hull floated past her, and she barely managed to see the words, emblazoned in gold.

__

The Guardian.

Kitnee searched her memory. She had heard of this ship, she was sure of it. But whether it was friend or foe she didn't know.

The Guardian began to dock close to the signal fire, her hull drifting steadily closer to the ridge. A figure could be seen walking along the deck, but she couldn't make out any features, save for a sword that appeared to be held at the hip. The figure vanished for a moment, then reappeared as it jumped overboard, landing with a dull thud on the concrete. It was carrying a rope, and began tying the ship to the island.

"Hold it right there," Kitnee stepped forward, her pistols level with the stranger, who had frozen immediately, "What's your name? And what's your business on Crescent Isle?"

After a moment, a female voice called back, "I am Captain Arsenal of The Guardian, a Blue Rogue here to speak with Captain Vyse. And you are?"

Kitnee hesitated, but lowered her pistols and stepped closer, "I am Kitnee, also a Blue Rogue. I'm afraid Vyse isn't on the base right now. He's out over Yafutoma way."

"How comes?" asked Arsenal, tying the thick ropes more securely. The Guardian creaked, then gently rested against the island. When she was finished, she wiped a thin layer of sweat from her forehead, and ruffled back her short hair. Kitnee took in her appearance.

She wore a choker around her neck, a small skull and crossbones imposed over it. Her clothing seemed to be made out of fishnet, save a checked skirt and narrow tank-top. She wore a metal gauntlet on each forearm, and a sword dangled from a thick belt slung unevenly around her hips.

"Vyse is in Yafutoma on some business with the Royal Family. Apparently they've lost some people in the Dark Rift and want him to save them."

"Why can't they do it themselves?" she asked innocently.

"Because Vyse is the only known man to make it through the Dark Rift. Except his crew, of course."

Arsenal nodded.

"Speaking of crew, how many you got aboard?"

"Two. Guy named Tide, my age. And Delphi, also my age."

"Well, I'm not exactly in charge here. You might wanna find Vyse's father, Dyne. He came over from Pirate Isle to keep an eye on things."

"Any idea where he is?"

Kitnee pointed to the mountain; a balcony was positioned about halfway between them and the peak. A door set into the rock was barely visible.

"Okay," Arsenal turned back to The Guardian, "I'll just grab my crew, and be right in." she grinned, "I'll be seeing you around."

***

Tide shifted his weight uneasily to his left foot as he stood before Dyne. Dyne himself was a famous Blue Rogue, and was also the man who had taught Vyse, his son, the art of sailing. He wore a tatty blue waistcoat over a dark green shirt, giving him a peculiar look of someone who wasn't entirely bothered about his appearance. His short brown hair framed an intelligent face, and he was eyeing the newcomers carefully.

"Of course you are welcome," he said, casually, "but please bear in mind, we do have our own people here. If you'll be wanting a place to stay the night, it'll cost you seventy gold for the inconvenience."

"Sure," Arsenal grinned, handing over the money. Tide's nervousness wasn't fading, especially in the presence of a famous air pirate such as Dyne. But he forced himself to look outside through the square-cut window, casting his gaze down upon the island base.

Directly in the centre was a large building that dominated most of that area. It appeared to be a building full of dormitories, but he wasn't sure. To the left of that was another building. A wide variety of smells had assailed his nose when he had walked past it, especially strong the smell of Loqua. He had guessed it to be the bar and kitchen. To the right of the dormitories was a small hut, which seemed to be a storage area and a shop, but he didn't get a close enough look as Arsenal led him to the small elevator that had brought him up here. He had almost collapsed from fear as the height increased, and had Delphi not grabbed him, he would surely have fallen to his death.

As he looked down at the buildings, their windows glowing from candle and torchlight, he caught sight of a shadow moving along from time to time, pausing, then moving again. He guessed it to be Kitnee, the young woman whom they had met after leaving the ship. He wondered why she wasn't indoors.

"So, we'll see you tomorrow then, Captain." Tide's attention snapped back as Arsenal nodded her head at Dyne, and turned to leave the room. Delphi followed.

"Tide, you coming?" Arsenal paused at the half-open door.

Tide nodded, "I'll meet you in a couple of minutes."

She and Delphi looked at him, puzzled, but he shook his head, not offering an explanation. They reluctantly left him in the meeting room, the door closing heavily behind them.

Tide turned, facing Captain Dyne, who was taking a seat by the table.

"What is it?" he asked, "Something you wanna ask me?"

"You could say that," said Tide, walking to the long, polished table that sat in the middle of the room. Unceremoniously, he dropped into the one that was directly opposite where Dyne now sat.

"By all means, ask."

Tide leant forward, pushing his palms against his brow, which was wrinkled in thought.

"That woman outside. Who is she?"

Dyne chuckled quietly, "That's Kitnee Torres. Best sharpshooter I ever saw, perhaps better than Gilder." Tide's left eyebrow raised cynically, but Dyne pressed on, "No, seriously. She's an excellent shot. But her temper is as sharp as her aim. Whatever you do, kid, don't get under her skin. If you do, her bullets will get under yours."

Tide frowned, "How come she's here? Is she an air pirate?"

"Of course," Dyne nodded, "A Blue Rogue like us. She's been here a while now, maybe a month or two. She was the captain of a ship called the Dragon Fang."

"What do you mean, _was_?"

Dyne's face suddenly hardened "Her ship was attacked by Valuan cruisers, although Emperor Enrique denies any involvement. I believe him; he isn't the kind of guy to start a fight with those who fought with him against Galcian."

"Kitnee fought against Galcian?" asked Tide.

"Ha! No, no. She's only your age, maybe a year or two older. She wouldn't have been old enough. But anyway, back to the story in hand." he cracked his knuckles, "Badly damaged, she managed to steer her ship towards Crescent Isle. Once she'd managed to get here it was apparent that she wouldn't be able to dock. Her ship was losing altitude fast, yet it was too high to make a successful docking in the port area." His face darkened with his next words, "I was there that day. I was sitting in here, with my son. There was a colossal crash against the mountainside, and it knocked us all over the place."

"Her ship hit the mountain?"

Dyne nodded, "Yeah. It was completely ablaze, then fell into Deep Sky, taking her crew with it."

"Then how did Kitnee survive?"

"We found her passed out in a dense clump of ferns. We later found out that she'd been thrown from the ship by her helmsman. She was lucky she didn't break her neck, but she was conscious long enough to see the entire thing play out."

Dyne stopped, looking down towards his boots.

"I wouldn't mention it to her if I were you. I've only told you because you're the only person here to ask what happened. But she gets a little cranky when one of us mentions it. Last week she almost shot Vyse himself."

Tide's jaw dropped. He then grinned in spite of himself, imagining the look on Vyse's face as two pistols were lined directly for his head. He had a fair idea what it was.

***

He stepped onto The Guardian several moments before realising his mistake. Nobody was on board. Arsenal and Delphi would be sleeping in the dormitories for the night. Tide cursed his habits, and hopped back onto Crescent Isle. He was making his way down the ridge, around a large pond, when he spotted her tossing stones out into the void of blackness that surrounded the isle. Had it not been for the torchlight, he might've missed her altogether.

He stepped beside her as silently as a ghost, looking at her from the corner of his eye. She was tall, about his height, and had long black hair, lifting slightly in the breeze. She wore a dark red jacket trimmed with gold, and a thick belt, not unlike Arsenal's, was slung around her waist. She wore light brown pants, and around each thigh he could clearly see two pistols in their holsters.

"What do you want?" she asked, suddenly. Tide jerked in surprise; he didn't think she'd heard him.

"I'm just here to talk." he said, quietly. He didn't know why, but whispering seemed a good idea.

"I don't want to talk to you. Just go get some sleep."

Tide shook his head, "Nah. I woke up barely an hour ago. It was a long day, and I got some rest earlier. So I'm wide awake now."

"Great." she still hadn't faced him, and her eyes were level with the invisible horizon. he detected more than a slight trace of sarcasm in her voice.

He said nothing. Silence reigned for several long minutes, and then he asked, "Why're you out here, anyway? Something on your mind?"

She finally turned her head to reveal brilliant green eyes. They seemed to bore into his very soul as her gaze met his, "I assure you, you don't want to know." he barely saw her hand drifting towards one of her pistols.

"Oh. So. Because I care, you're going to shoot me?" he asked evenly, "Where's the justice in that?"

"Where's the justice in anything?" she asked coldly. Tide dimly became aware of what she was referring to.

"Are you alone here?" he asked, softly.

"Why do you care?" she turned her back on him.

"Because that's the kind of person I am. I like to get to know people." he wasn't daunted by her attitude. He'd cracked much tougher shells than hers before.

She sighed heavily, "Look, just leave me alone, all right."

"Is that how it's always going to be? Just you, all alone?"

She gritted her teeth. She'd just come close to telling him everything, and she knew it.

"Look, just go away." she walked off, leaving him standing alone.

"Fine," he called after her, "but remember, I'm here for a while. You can still change your mind."

She disappeared into the darkness.

An unnoticed shadow crept along the balcony of the dormitories, slowly slinking back out of earshot...

***

Swinging her legs out over space, Kitnee was perched carefully on the metal gangway inside the mountain. It was in here that Vyse docked his ship, but right now it was empty, deserted. A few small buildings down below on the quayside were visible, their windows shining brightly.

Her mind was deeply troubled. That guy. She'd known him for barely a few hours, and already he'd spoken to her. Or tried to.

__

I had no choice, she told herself, _I can't tell him. Or anyone else. He doesn't understand what it means, to be the only survivor. It's worse than death._ She tore her gaze from the dock and began closely examining her boots.

But she was still uneasy. For the first time since she'd been here, someone other than Vyse had tried to talk to her. Someone had made an effort, thought she was worth bothering with. She tucked her legs back, curling them in tightly and hugging them. Her mind swam with a thousand possibilities. What was it he had said?

__

"Is that how it's always going to be? Just you, all alone?"

Suddenly angry with herself, she slammed her fist down onto the metal gangway. It rang throughout the cavern, echoing.

__

Was she always going to be a loner? Could she possibly fit in with another crew? She didn't know the answer but her common sense finally began hitting her.

__

The guy was right. I can't go on like this. What am I going to do? Where am I going to go? Right now, here, I have nothing. But maybe...

Her thoughts continued deep into the night.

***

Tide propped himself against the tall flagpole that stretched above him. The blue flag with the white motif of a skull and crossbones fluttered gently in the breeze, and he stared at it for several moments. He hadn't slept at all. He hadn't even tried. He knew he wouldn't be able to, due to his twelve hour sleep earlier. Not feeling thoroughly rested, he at least consoled himself in the fact that he was now comfortably secure in his sense of direction on the island. He'd spent the night exploring.

Over in the distance he saw Arsenal emerging from the dormitories, coming around the building. She gave a little wave once she'd spotted him, and he waved back. She then turned, and headed straight for the bar. Tide let out a small giggle.

"She'll never change, that one."

Delphi followed soon behind. She stretched, spotted Tide, and waved as Arsenal had. Tide returned the greeting. But instead she opted to walk towards him. As she got closer, Tide saw her adjusting her spectacles carefully, then attempt to flatten her hair, which was flat and pressed up at one side.

"Hey, Delphi."

"Morning, Tide." she said cheerfully.

"Sleep well?" 

"Pretty good," she answered, "I didn't hear any chainsaws last night." she said conversationally as Tide's cheeks flushed red, "I assume you didn't get much sleep?"

"I didn't bother trying, after the sleep I had on the ship. Not much point, really."

"So what did you do for the hours we were sleeping?" she grinned to herself as her hair finally smoothed back into place.

"Oh, I just explored a bit. Nothing fancy. Spent a lot of time on The Guardian, actually."

Delphi nodded, "Cool. Well, I think Arsenal mentioned we'd be heading for Yafutoma. Not sure I heard her right, though. I was half asleep at the time."

"Did she mention anything about going through the Dark Rift?" asked Tide, his eyes widening in panic, "I mean, you know what she's like. There's a perfectly safe way over that side of the world by Ixa'Taka. She does know that, right?"

Delphi grinned, "Yeah. She sounded a little disappointed that we probably wouldn't be killing ourselves, but she'll get over it. We're making for the gap in the sky rift."

"Thank the moons for that." he sighed with relief.

***

It had just turned midday, and the sun blazed down onto Crescent Isle, and onto Tide's weary arms as he struggled to carry the last of the supplies aboard The Guardian. Hoisting the barrel onto the side, he passed it across to Delphi, his arms feeling wonderfully light as the load was lifted away. He noticed, with a small feeling of resentment, that Delphi was carrying the barrel almost as if it were full of feathers.

Finally finished, he rubbed his sweaty hands against his pants, and turned to step away from the ship. She was once again in good condition; the gashes the Roc had left in the sails had been repaired, and the engine sounded better than ever.

His black vest clung to his back, and he wriggled slightly in discomfort. His jacket was slung around his hips, and held on by a loose knot in the sleeves. His pants were streaked with dust and wood chippings. He'd have to change later.

As he began walking away from the ship towards the bar, he noticed with some surprise that Kitnee was hoisting herself onto the ship further along the side. Resisting the urge to call her, he carried on walking. No doubt Arsenal would tell him what she wanted, anyway.

"Hey, Tide, wait up!" he turned to see Delphi hop off the ship, running along the ridge to catch up with him. He paused, not walking again until she had fallen into step beside him, breathing slightly heavier.

"Hard work, eh?" he asked, giving her a sidelong smirk.

"It could be worse," she chuckled, "Besides, it looked like you were struggling quite a bit."

Tide said nothing, instead waiting as Delphi opened the bar door, then stepped inside. He stepped through after her, closing the door quietly behind him. Delphi hurried to the counter as Tide took a seat on a low bench in front of a wooden table. She returned carrying two Loqua's.

"Thanks," he said lightly.

"No problem," she took a sip of her drink, but didn't take her eyes from him. After several moments of having her staring, Tide started feeling more than a little uncomfortable.

"What're you staring at?" he asked. Delphi placed her drink back on the table, a mischievous grin beginning to creep slowly across her face, despite how much she seemed to be straining to keep it under control.

"Well?" he asked impatiently.

"Last night," Delphi took another drink as Tide began sipping his, "I don't think exploring was all you were doing, was it?"

Tide almost gagged, his drink spilling a little, and splashing on the floor between his boots.

"What do you mean?" he asked.

"Oh, come on. I guess that means you didn't pick up on my tone this morning, then?" seeing Tide's blank face, she said, "When I asked what you'd been doing last night. You didn't notice the grin?"

Tide thought hard, "Come to think of it, you did seem a little full of yourself this morning."

"Thanks a lot," she said ruefully, but continued anyway, "Well, you remember at least."

"Yeah, what was that all about?" he asked, taking another drink.

"Oh, come off it," she rolled her eyes, "I was on the balcony last night. I heard pretty much everything."

"You know," Tide's voice suddenly hardened, "some people would call that spying."

"Yeah, well. I couldn't sleep for a while, so I went outside. Then I heard voices. I didn't say anything because I didn't want to-ah-spoil the mood."

Tide raised a critical eyebrow, "What are you getting at?"

Delphi literally threw her head forward so it landed with a clunk on the table. Several other customers cast a few glances, but then carried on as they had.

"Please, Tide, tell me you're only acting this dense."

Tide swallowed some more Loqua quite hastily, gripping the tankard as though he were imagining it to be Delphi's neck.

"Okay, fine. So I had a chat with Kitnee last night. What of it?"

She smiled, "Okay, now we're getting somewhere."

"You know everything anyway. You were listening, weren't you?" It wasn't so much a question as an accusation.

"Well of course, duh. But hey, you didn't do too badly. But at least me and Arsenal know why you hung back to talk with Dyne now."

"Oh? Then maybe you could tell me?"

"Simple," she finished the last of her drink, "You wanted to ask him why Kitnee is here, without a ship, apparently stranded." noticing Tide's dumbfounded stare, she grinned, "Ah, so you _were._"

"Wha-? You just guessed?" Delphi nodded, as now Tide downed the rest of his drink and seemed to sink into his seat. He had the definite feeling that it would be a good time to maybe dig under the floor and hide, "I can't believe you got it out of me so easily."

Delphi's smiled widened even more.

"So?"

Tide stared back, confused, "So what?"

"So is she the one?" Delphi leant forwards eagerly.

"Oh, come off it," Tide rolled his eyes. Delphi's stare continued to pierce into his eyes, almost as though she were trying to see through him and strip his thoughts down a layer at a time, "Okay, fine. Maybe."

"Maybe, eh?" she raised an eyebrow as he had.

"Yes, maybe."

Delphi leant over the table, and patted him on the head.

"Don't worry, Tidey. Your secret's safe with me."

She winked, got to her feet, and left the bar, leaving Tide feeling a vague sense of apprehension and panic. After a moment, he got up to follow her.

***

"Tide, Delphi," Arsenal grinned at them both as they were stood on the deck, "I'd like to introduce you to our new crew member."

Tide and Delphi exchanged surprised looks, "Who?" asked Delphi eagerly.

"Come with me," she led them towards the cabin, "right now she's down below, familiarising herself with the ship."

Following Arsenal, Tide and Delphi plodded down the steps. Looking down, Tide caught a glimpse of a pair of boots moving around. He couldn't see who was wearing them though, until he was almost all the way down. And when he did see her, he nearly fell over in surprise.

Kitnee grinned as he and Delphi stepped down onto the deck, "Well, guys," she smiled, "I guess I should say hi."

Tide's jaw moved soundlessly, then he finally stammered, "When? How? Wha-?"

Delphi seemed surprised, but recovered quickly, "Kitnee, right?" Kitnee nodded, "Well, then, Kitnee, welcome aboard The Guardian."

"Thanks."

"Kitnee approached me earlier." said Arsenal, "She came on board as you two finished loading up the last of the supplies, and offered us her services. How could I refuse?"

Tide looked out the corner of his eye at Delphi, and saw her gaze quickly shift away from him. He flushed.

"Well," he said, "I've got stuff to be doing. Gotta make sure those guys put the sail up properly." with that, he left the room, quickly heading back up into the cabin, almost dashing out of the door, and for the first time in his life he practically flew up to the crows nest.

__

As if she's actually here, his mind cried out in alarm,_ Not that I'm complaining or anything, but... oh, man. Delphi's gonna have a field day with me for as long as Kitnee's on board._ Sighing, he turned and let his head fall forward against the mast.

__

I don't know whether to be happy or annoyed. After that talk we had, the last thing I expected was for her to come aboard The Guardian. I guess I must've really hit a nerve with her. 

He stayed up there for a long time, not moving until the ship had began to leave Crescent Isle. Looking back one last time, he smiled at the memories he'd have with him. He'd met Kitnee, Dyne, and also explored the famous Vyse's base.

But then finally fatigue started to catch up with him. Sliding down the ladder to the deck, he staggered into the cabin. Arsenal and Delphi stared at him like he was a ghost or something.

"You don't look too good, Tide."

"I'm fine, Captain. Just need a little rest."

"Granted, but we'll wake you after four hours. We need to get your routine back in with ours."

"Sure," he nodded, walking towards the steps, "Oh, where's Kitnee?"

"She's down in the engine room. She's working on it right now; she says she could probably improve it's output and give us a greater top speed." Delphi smiled to him.

"Hope you sleep well."

Tide nodded slowly, and then began to stagger down the steps, turning into the small room that held his hammock. He struggled to get into it, as always. Knowing he'd never really get used to hammocks, he was nonetheless resigned to finding a bed unless it was on a ship of his own someday. He was certain that it just wouldn't happen with anyone else. Wouldn't be 'proper'.

He was almost on the brink of sleep when he heard the door creak open, and close again.

"Has it been four hours already?" he asked numbly.

The figure moved over to one of the other hammocks, propping itself against one.

"Of course not, silly." Tide became aware that it was an unfamiliar voice. It took him a moment to realise that it belonged to Kitnee.

"What's up?" he asked heavily, his eyes closed. His mind felt foggy, and Kitnee's words hardly seemed to pierce it.

"Are you alright?" she asked, "With me on board, I mean. You didn't seem too thrilled when you first saw me."

Hardly sure he had heard her right, he forced himself to answer. His mind wanted nothing more than to shut down. To rest, and sleep.

"No no, I was just surprised. I didn't expect to see you on here."

"No, I suppose not." she straightened up, and began moving towards the door. She hesitated for a moment, "Thank you." she said softly, and Tide took a moment to answer because he could barely hear.

"What're you thanking me for?"

"For caring." She grasped the door handle, hesitated again, and then opened it, stepping out into the landing. Tide was asleep before he heard the door close.

***

Arsenal stood beside Delphi, her eyes searching the horizon. Delphi hummed softly to herself as she steered the ship, then pushed the lever forward to increase the speed.

"How's it going?" Kitnee's voice called up from below.

"It's great! We're past top speed already!" Arsenal called back.

Delphi turned her head to Arsenal, "You know, she's proven useful already. Bet you're glad you brought her aboard, huh?"

"Course I am. Take a look at the girl. She's brilliant with her pistols, with engines, and who knows what else?"

Delphi checked the compass, and turned the wheel slightly so the ship was facing a little more west, "Is she gonna keep playing with the engines all day? If she accidentally breaks them..."

"I know," Arsenal tilted her head a little, "if she screws up, we're toast. But after this last adjustment, I'll tell her to leave it 'til we get to port."

"Yeah, speaking of a port, are we stopping by Sailor's Island again on our way?"

"Nah, I was thinking we'd swing by Horteka in Ixa'Taka."

Delphi nodded, "Sounds good to me. Might take a few days though."

"I know. How do you think we should get there? Across South Ocean? Or through the sky rift?"

Delphi shrugged, "Actually, I've never tried getting through a sky rift in this ship before. Can it go through them?"

"Just because she's little doesn't mean the ship isn't powerful. Of course she can get through them." Arsenals eyes shone, "Although admittedly I did try making it through a sky rift before I had a new engine put in."

Delphi's eyes widened, "What happened? Did you make it?"

"Make it? I might as well have sailed into a mountain. No, the ship held out, but it practically bounced off of the rift."

"I'm surprised the ship's still in one piece." said Delphi honestly.

"So am I. You don't want to try going through a sky rift without some serious power in your engines. I learnt that one to my cost."

They both turned as footsteps began pounding on the staircase behind them. They exchanged glances as Tide came into view and yawned heavily, stretching.

"Thought you were going to wake me?" he asked.

"We were, but lucky for you Kitnee's been playing with the engines. We were so absorbed in this that we completely forgot about you."

"I dunno if that makes me feel better or worse." said Tide, running a hand back through his hair. He frowned, "Be honest," he said, pointing to it, "how does it look? It feels like straw."

"Well, it doesn't look too bad," Delphi peered at it critically, "I mean, I suppose we could hack it off and use it as a door wedge, but apart from that, it looks fine."

Arsenal grinned, "Since when did you care about your hair? I've seen you go out to the crows nest before with it looking like you'd just been electrocuted or something. I don't get it."

"No reason," said Tide, "It just feels heavier on one side than normal."

"Ah, right." Delphi turned away, grinning. She grasped the wheel, looking like she was restraining herself from making a sarcastic comment. Tide rolled his eyes.

"Delphi, could I have a word please? In, err, private?"

She looked a little surprised, but nodded, stepping away from the wheel as Arsenal took over.

"Don't be long," she said, "I can't sail this thing all day on my own."

"Sure." Tide nodded, "It won't take a minute."

He opened the cabin door and stepped out on deck, immediately wishing he hadn't. A strong wind almost threw him off balance, and as he walked to the bow he felt like he might be swept from the deck. Delphi caught up with him a second later.

"This had better be good," she called, her voice raised over the wind. Her jacket blew back in the gales like his, and her hair was blowing across her face. Looking harassed, she held it away.

Holding his hand against his face not so much to stop the wind as to keep his own hair from jabbing his eyes out, Tide called out to her.

"Do you think you can be a little less obvious about what we spoke about earlier?"

"You brought me out here to say _that?_" 

Tide nodded, "It's like I said, she _might_ be the one. I've known her less than two days, so cut me some slack, will you?" he was almost yelling over the howling wind.

"Fine, if that's what you want!" she called, "I won't mention it again!"

"I don't mind talking about it!" he shouted, "Just not in front of anyone! Since you already know, I might as well keep you in the loop so there's no confusion on your part!"

Delphi nodded, "Admit it, Tide! You're just glad you have somebody to talk to about it!"

"Yeah, maybe I am! But don't go telling the captain! I'll kill you if you do!"

She grinned, then nodded, "Sure thing! Now, can we please get back inside?!"

"Yeah, okay!"

They staggered back into the cabin, and Tide approached Arsenal.

"Reporting for duty, Captain!" he threw a mock salute.

Arsenal grinned, and looked at him, "You're looking a bit windswept, laddie. Go downstairs and freshen up a bit. And whilst you're at it, I want you to get to know Kitnee a bit better, so she feels more welcome."

Tide nodded, "Isn't there anything that needs doing?"

"Nah, we're just heading west for a while. If any monsters turn up or anything, we'll give you two a holler."

"Sure," he began walking down the steps, "you two going to be alright? Don't need any help with the maps or anything, do you? You do know which way is up and which way is down?"

"Why you little..." Arsenal started towards him, grinning, but Tide had already fled down the steps, laughing. 

***

"So, where are you from anyway?"

"Valua. Haven't been there for a long time though."

"How long?"

Kitnee counted off on her fingers, "About nine years."

"Whoa. That's a long time away from home."

"I know. But I don't care... I hated my home. I left on my own, you know. Sailed on my own for about a year before being picked up by a Blue Rogue."

Tide's eyes widened, "You were sailing on your own?!" he asked incredulously, "How old were you? About eight?"

"Something like that, yeah." she nodded, "Anyway, how about you? Where are you from?"

Tide's face suddenly darkened.

"I don't know," he said quietly, "All I remember of my childhood is me being aboard a ship called The Phoenix. That was until I was seven, then after that everything changed."

Kitnee paused a moment. Now she was sure that Tide was about to tell her something that he wasn't entirely comfortable talking about, so she said quietly, "What happened?"

Tide's voice cracked a little, and his mind swam back to being over Valua only two days ago, when he had spoken to Arsenal about the same thing.

"The Rains happened. But since you lived in Valua, I guess you know all about that."

Kitnee seemed to shrink into herself a little, "Yeah. I was there. Those were hard times."

"I know. At any rate, my parents were Air Pirates. Blue Rogues, of course." he added, spotting her curious gaze, "They were raiding a Spellship at the time. One of the moonstones that fell struck our ship. It didn't crash straight away. All I remember is flames, and my mother getting me into one of the lifeboats as she went back for my dad."

His head suddenly hung limp, and he stared hard at the floorboards.

"That was the last I ever saw of them." he whispered, "the lifeboat drifted away from the ship, and I watched the Phoenix fall into Deep Sky with the Spellship beside it, being dragged down by the lines that were holding it close."

Kitnee looked at him for a second, then looked at the floor.

"I'm hungry," she said suddenly, "want to get something to eat?"

"Uh? Oh, sure." he pointed to a door set someway down the hall, "The galley's through there." He began to lead the way, and Kitnee followed him. Once they were inside, Tide walked behind the counter, and started groping around inside the cupboards.

"C'mon, c'mon... I know they're in here somewhere.."

Kitnee sat down at the table, and waited patiently as Tide continued to rummage. After a few moments, a triumphant look crossed his face, and he held up two plates.

"Vegetables and Valuan chicken. The Captain always has some on board." Walking over to the table, Tide placed a plate in front of Kitnee and his own opposite her. He quickly took a seat.

"So," she said, taking a bite out of her chicken with a fork that she's just grabbed from the counter, "you've been on The Guardian ever since?"

Tide almost laughed, "Are you kidding? I was seven. Arsenal's the same age as me."

"Oh, so she didn't have the ship, then?"

"Nope, she got the ship custom built two years ago. In truth, I don't really know that much about her, other than her age. Where she comes from is a complete mystery to me."

"Hmm," Kitnee rubbed her chin as Tide hastily crammed some vegetables into his mouth, "so what happened to you then?"

"Well, right, I was basically stranded on my own in Valua. At that age I didn't know a great deal about the world, and I'd never been away from The Phoenix."

"It must've been rough."

"It was. I just decided to go forward and see where I ended up." he smiled sadly, "I was lucky. Two days in, I saw a light in the distance and made way for it. Turned out to be Sailor's Island. I'd seen the lighthouse." Kitnee nodded, and he continued, "Well, once there, I was taken in by an old lady who was there for a while. She was there on business from Nasrad, and she took me home with her."

"So that's it? You just went with a stranger?"

Tide's eyes widened, "Well what else could I do? I was seven, and couldn't exactly fend for myself. At that age, where do you go? What do you do?" 

Kitnee fell silent.

"Anyway, she took me home. Turned out that she was the innkeeper over there. She quickly became like my second mother. I even called her my Aunt Ketrala."

Kitnee remained silent and continued eating, but now seemed eager to hear more. Tide swallowed a forkful of chicken, then continued.

"Then last year, she was killed by black pirates when she was on her way back from Sailor's Island. She'd gone there to meet with a merchant about something, but she never told me what." he hung his head again, "Everyone I've cared about, or who has cared about me, has died."

"Well what about Arsenal and Delphi?"

"Shortly after my Aunt passed away, I registered with the Sailor's Guild. They found job placements for me aboard various ships, but nobody took me in."

"How comes?"

Tide shrugged, "I don't know, really. I guess it's because I was young, had never sailed before, and didn't exactly have great body strength."

"Oh, right. So how'd you end up on here?"

"I'd pretty much given up on joining a crew. I went back to the inn one night, thoroughly depressed. And then two Air Pirates walked in, asking for a room for the night. They were Arsenal and Delphi."

"So that's how you guys met, eh?"

"That's right," he crammed some more vegetables into his mouth, "We got talking about things, and I mentioned that I was looking to join a ship." He grinned, "Arsenal literally burst out, _"We'll have you!"_. I nearly collapsed in shock."

Kitnee chuckled to herself, then pushed the empty plate away from her. Tide followed suit.

"So what about you, anyway?" he asked, his eyes meeting hers, "What's your story after you left Valua?"

She smiled, "Maybe another day. It's not a story I enjoy telling."

"Aw, c'mon!" Tide pleaded, "Share!"

"Some other time, maybe."

Tide peered at her for a moment, wondering if he should mention what Dyne had told him. His mouth began to form the words, but then he abruptly cut himself short. Kitnee apparently noticed.

"What?" she asked, "What were you going to say."

Tide looked at her a moment. Should he tell her? Was it right? His mind swam for a second with the aftermaths of either telling her or not, and he tried to pick which was best.

"Nothing. Its nothing important." he got to his feet, picking both plates up and carrying them over to the counter, before finally stepping out of the door. Kitnee sat alone, watching as the door closed behind him. Punching the air in frustration, she got to her feet, and followed.

***

"Well, there it is." Delphi slowed The Guardian to a halt. On the horizon a wall of white was visible. It was moving swiftly south.

"The rift between us and Ixa'Taka." Arsenal smiled, "Thanks Del. Want me to take over?"

"No, actually. I was thinking that our new helmsman would like to try." grinning, she rounded on Tide, who looked as though he was seriously regretting coming back into the cabin.

"Erm, you know, I kinda have stuff to be..." his voice fell to nothing under Arsenal's stare. He noticed with a great deal of unease that her eyes were practically gleaming with excitement, and her mouth split into a wide grin.

"Perfect," she cackled, "after the Roc, this should be pretty easy for you."

"No, really, I've got things to do." Tide said hurriedly.

"As your captain, I'm giving you an order. You can forget whatever you were doing, and get us through that sky rift." her grin widened. Delphi turned away, trying to hide a smile of her own.

"Seriously, I don't think this is a good idea. I've never flown through a rift before."

"It's easy," said Arsenal, "Just don't let go of the wheel, or we're Loqua juice." The colour drained from Tide's face as he took the wheel from Delphi, who stepped away and towards the back of the cabin with Kitnee.

"Scared, Tide?" asked Kitnee, who was grinning herself.

"Of course I'm scared! I'm not crazy!" he cast a sideward glance to Arsenal as he said it, but then looked back to Kitnee, "I apologize for not wanting to kill us all, myself included. But I've grown rather attached to being alive. It's a habit I'm not overly fond of breaking."

Delphi laughed, "C'mon, Tide, you'll do fine. Just hold the wheel steady."

Defeated, Tide turned to look out of the window, his gaze falling on the impossibly huge rift before him.

"It's nothing," Arsenal patted him on one shoulder, "You go in, then you're out. The whole thing will take less than thirty seconds."

"By the moons, Captain, you had better be right." Tide pressed the lever down beside him, and The Guardian lurched forwards, approaching the sky rift.

***

It wasn't at all what he had expected. Just before they reached the rift, the others went outside to drop the sails. Arsenal said that their momentum alone would get them through, and having the sails up wasn't the greatest of ideas in a wall of wind. Unless they wanted to go south, anyway.

Once the ship had entered the rift, it had been shunted sideways by the winds slightly, knocking them a little off balance. But apart from that, it was like sailing the skies as normal, except for a white mist that reminded Tide of thick fog, making visibility extremely poor. But still the ship pressed on, eventually emerging in clear skies beneath a green moon. Several islands were littered through the sky, each covered in what seemed to be dense forest. Waterfalls poured from one island to another, eventually cascading into Deep Sky. Tide stared for a moment, awestruck.

"So this is Ixa'Taka." he said simply.

"That's right. Not bad sailing there, Tide." Arsenal patted him on the shoulder again.

"So, we going to Horteka?" Kitnee called out from behind. It was Delphi that answered her.

"Yeah, we are. Should take another day from here."

"Erm, Del?" said Tide quickly, "Mind taking back over?"

"What? Oh, sure." she stepped forward, and took the wheel back from him. Within seconds, he'd flown down the steps, and the rapid beating of his boots against wood could be heard, finally ending several seconds later with the sound of the lavatory door opening and being slammed closed.

***

Later, the four of them were sitting at the table in the galley. Before them were plates of cooked Valuan chicken (Tide whined a little when they were brought out, mentioning that he'd eaten some earlier), as well as steamed vegetables.

Looking out of the porthole, Tide saw the island that The Guardian had been anchored to. Lush and green, covered in dense foliage, it seemed they had entered another world.

"This is really good, Delphi. You've outdone yourself." Arsenal took a bite of chicken, leaning her chair back on two legs.

Tide looked down at his own plate, the food placed neatly around. He pushed an onion across the surface with his fork, and turned to look at Kitnee.

"You know," he said, "I don't have the heart to eat it. Look at it. It just looks so good. it'd be like destroying a priceless work of art."

Kitnee peered down at her plate, "I half agree, it does look very nice."

Tide turned away, "See Delphi? We can't eat these. It'd make us feel bad, right Kitnee?"

She didn't answer, and he turned towards her. His eyes widened.

Her plate was empty.

She burped gently, and then giggled at the look on Tide's face.

"Holy Huskra's!" exclaimed Tide, "Where did it go? Don't tell me you ate it!"

Kitnee blushed a little.

"You did, didn't you! After you just agreed with me about the artistic talent that it represented!"

Arsenal laughed, "Yes, she did. It was like watching some kind of demented shovel - no offence," she added quickly as Kitnee shot her a glare, "But really. One minute it was there, then... not."

Delphi rolled her eyes, "Tide, it's food. It's there to be eaten. Can you please spare us your ridiculous notions and just eat?"

"But Del, did you see that? It was incredible!" Kitnee scowled at him as he said it. But then her face suddenly changed to serious concentration.

"What's up?" asked Tide, "Trapped wind?"

"No, silly." she snapped, "I heard something."

"Probably your stomach rumbling!" laughed Delphi.

"No, I'm serious," she held up her hand, indicating silence. The others exchanged glances, wondering whether or not to take this as a practical joke.

"What did you hear?" asked Tide.

Kitnee shrugged, "Not sure... Sounded like a boom. Maybe I was imagining things."

Tide turned to look out the porthole again, and his eyes immediately locked onto the metallic ship that was fast heading their way.

"Cannon fire!" her cried, as a flash of orange indicated another shot, "Get down!"

They all dived to the floor as the porthole exploded towards them, showering the room with glass. Cold air blew inside, and the ship lurched sickeningly to one side, causing the glass to slide back against the base of the wall that the porthole had been on.

"What the hell..?!" cried Arsenal, "What was that?!"

"Looked like a Valuan ship!" called Tide, "That's all I saw!"

They jumped to their feet, and darted to the door.

"Tide, Delphi, get to the lifeboats. Now!" Arsenal screamed. They were about to protest, but Arsenal held up her hand, "Just do it! We'll keep them busy whilst you go board them! We can't beat a Valuan ship in a cannon exchange!"

Within seconds, they were gone.

"Kitnee, you're with me. I'll take the wheel, you get the anchor up. I only pray that those engine modifications you made hold out."

They started to run towards the steps, catching a fleeting glimpse of Tide as he burst through the door to the lifeboat bay behind Delphi.

Arsenal and Kitnee darted for the cabin, but both screamed in surprise as a cannonball tore through the corridor in front of them, missing them by inches. Wood shavings sprayed towards them, but covering their eyes, they pressed on, finally racing up the steps two at a time. Kitnee wasted no time and was out on deck in an instant as Arsenal grasped the wheel.

"Okay!" she hissed, "You want to play, we'll play!"

***

Sitting in the lifeboat, Tide stared at the Valuan cruiser as it slowly came closer. Delphi sat on he side, adjusting the rudder slightly and causing the lifeboat to tilt, heading down lower.

"I'll try keeping below the cannons, and hopefully their sight. Last thing we need is to get shot at in this thing."

Tide had to admit that she had a point. If he had to describe it, he would've said it looked like a large metallic bathtub without the plug or taps. They had no cover overhead, and a cannonball hitting the lifeboat would probably kill them without a problem. Without really meaning to, he ducked his body a little, as if he could stay out of sight by hiding behind the sides.

They both flinched in surprise as another cannon fired, and Tide quickly turned to see it crash into the side of The Guardian. He saw that her anchor had been raised, and she was starting to move slowly forward. A small explosion from the deck told him that either Arsenal or Kitnee had begun returning fire, and sure enough he saw a small explosion against the armour of the cruiser. As the smoke whipped away, he groaned to see that only a dent showed any contact between it and the cannonball.

"That hardly did any damage at all!" cried Tide.

"I know! But that's because our cannons aren't all that powerful!" Delphi called back to him, "That armour on the cruiser might be impenetrable! It may well be up to us to save our ship!"

As they streaked towards the cruiser, Tide mumbled to himself, "No pressure, then."

Then they were suddenly alongside, and Tide saw, on the sides, the words heavily engraved onto a metal plaque.

__

The Grand Royal.

The name was unfamiliar to him, but he was disturbed as he remembered Dyne mentioning Kitnee's old ship being attacked by Valuan cruisers for no apparent reason.

Delphi slowed their lifeboat as she drew level with their deck, and Tide got to his feet, drawing the daggers from his belt. Then he leapt, landing hard on the deck as Delphi landed nimbly beside him. Tide saw her clutching tightly to a quarterstaff.

She nodded her head towards a door, which had just been flung open. Three Valuan guards charged out, brandishing their lances, and lunged towards them. But then something ricocheted from the helmet of one, and he fell over in surprise, staggering over the edge. He screamed as he fell from the ship. The others paused for a second, and then charged.

***

"Come on, move!" Arsenal screamed, as if by doing so she could make the ship turn faster. The Guardian was badly damaged, and she could feel it. It's speed had been compromised, she knew, because the aerodynamics of the ship had been seriously altered. The gaping holes that now littered the ship were proving more damaging than they'd appeared.

She caught a glimpse of Kitnee on the deck, firing one of the cannons. She turned her neck to watch the damage, but was disheartened to see that almost none had been delivered to the cruiser.

Then she noticed Kitnee pull out one of her pistols, firing off a single shot. What for, Arsenal couldn't tell, but Kitnee seemed satisfied enough as she holstered the pistol again. But then a cannonball smashed through the deck in front of her, knocking her over. Arsenal felt her stomach knot, but Kitnee sprang to her feet, a grim expression across her face. In a swift movement, she removed a sharp piece of splintered wood from her arm, her face screwing up in pain. Arsenal looked away, spinning the wheel to try circling around the Valuan ship. But it didn't work. The Valuan cruiser fired again, a cannonball streaking directly into the stern. Arsenal immediately felt the ship lose power, and knew at once that the engine had been hit.

And then, slowly, but definitely picking up speed, The Guardian began to fall...

***

Tide stared, horror-struck, as The Guardian began to lose altitude. But he was forced away from the horrific scene as it played out, instead having to face the two remaining Valuan guards alongside Delphi.

Facing up to one of them, Tide raised his daggers to block a thrust, the lance clashing loudly against his blades. The guard stepped back, and circled round, then slashed low, clearly intending to take out Tide's feet from under him. But he was too fast; he jumped, tucking his legs up as the lance slashed harmlessly below. But then it was suddenly brought up. It somehow missed his body, but left a neat slice in the flesh of his arm. He dropped one of his daggers in surprise, and fell down onto the floor. But in a flash he was up again, blood running freely down his arm.

The Valuan guard then spoke.

"Surrender yourself, or die." Tide could tell from the tone used that this was no idle threat.

"Blue Rogues never surrender!" hissed Tide.

"Then your lifeless body shall be thrown overboard, falling to the depths of Deep Sky."

The guard lunged, holding the lance out before him. Tide dodged aside as the point slipped past, and he brought the dagger around in a full swing. It clashed against the guards chest plate, then slid down across the surface, finaly leaving a neat slive in his unprotected abdomen. He cried out in surprise, and retreated quickly. Tide took the opportunity to reach down for the dagger he had dropped.

Tide smiled wickedly, "Surrender, or die."

"Do not test me, pirate filth." the guard spat.

This time it was Tide's turn to attack, and he swung first the dagger on his injured arm. It sliced through the air with a sound that could almost have been the tearing of the very air itself, but the guard raised his lance, the blades clashing. But Tide didn't pull back. Rather, he pushed, forcing the guard to try balancing himself better. In that instant, he used the other dagger, and thrust it deeply into the guards gut.

Through the eyehole in the helmet, Tide saw the man's eyes widen in surprise and pain. He then stepped back, the dagger sliding from his abdomen as he did. Blood began to clot against the yellow shirt he had been wearing underneath.

And then he fell to the ground, the lance clattering loudly over the steel deck.

To Tide, time seemed to slow. He turned back to The Guardian, watching as it slammed into the island that they'd earlier been anchored to. The mast cracked, and fell, crashing down onto the cabin. The bow seemed to crumple, and wood blew outwards in every direction.

And then there was the explosion.

Starting from the engines, Tide saw the flame lick up through the ship, and in horror he saw it blast upwards through the deck, the fiery flames curling high into the sky with a boom that he heard even over the sound of the cruisers engines. Bits of decking were blasted high into the sky.

He turned to Delphi, the horror still fresh in his mind. He could see the guard she had fought crumpled on the floor, and she had watched the scene as he had. Her face was ashen, her mouth hanging limply open. But then a look of anger blazed across her face, and she charged through the door that the guards had emerged from. After a moment, Tide followed her, hatred rising inside him, making his chest burn. His eyes were watering as he charged after her, but he didn't care. Such was his anger that all other feelings were lost on him. He just followed Delphi as she made her way to the bridge, screaming with rage.

Several guards crossed their paths, but they didn't slow. Instead, they flew towards them, and within a few seconds they were either unconscious or dead on the floor.

As they approached the bridge, Tide's hatred increased further. He began to feel an undeniable need for revenge, to kill the one responsible for what he had witnessed. And kill that person he would, even if he himself died trying.

***

Delphi burst through the hatch and onto the bridge, her eyes savagely scanning the room, desperate to find the captain, to hurt him, to hear him scream in pain and agony.

Tide shot through behind her, but slowed to a stop immediately.

Twelve guards stood, each pointing their lances at the two of them. The wall of spikes bristled, almost as if daring the two of them to come further.

"Drop your weapons." a voice called. Over the guards, Tide saw a man begin to approach.

"Never." he hissed savagely, "You'll have to kill me first."

"Oh, believe me, I shall kill you soon enough." the man stepped in front of the guards, and Tide took in the long, angular face, the dark brown eyes, the blonde, waving hair. He was wearing a waistcoat of the darkest green, and a shirt that was grey to the point of almost being black.

"You killed them, you bastard!" spat Tide, raising his daggers, "On my honour as a Blue Rogue, I shall see you suffer for this atrocity."

"I think not." the man spoke calmly, "Your honour as a Rogue is of no importance to me. You are a pirate. There is no honour in such a life."

Tide gritted his teeth, his eyes narrowing. Then he lunged forwards, slicing with his daggers, anger surging through his veins.

But then man simply stepped aside, and hit him hard at the base of the skull.

Delphi snarled as Tide fell unconscious to the floor, and raised her quarterstaff.

"I wouldn't if I were you." said the man evenly, "I would regret having to hurt you as well."

"You scum," she snarled, "Why? What did we ever do to you?"

"You are an Air Pirate. You roam the skies freely, doing as you please, robbing whom you will. I can not let this continue."

"And who are you to stop us?"

"I am Nokra, soon to be lord of all Arcadia." he laughed, "But I digress." his eyes narrowed, "You are to be taken to the brig. And this whelp," he pointed to Tide, "will be going with you. It's been so long since we've had an execution back home. I do believe the men will be quite heartened."

Delphi's face contorted with rage as the guards approached, forcing the quarterstaff from her.

"This isn't over," she hissed, "I'll live to see you dead."

"Given your current situation, I find that highly unlikely. Guards, take her away."

Seizing her wrists behind her, one of the guards bound her with manacles. She was then shoved roughly towards the door, and led out of the bridge.

***

It was the thick smell of smoke that roused Kitnee, and as her senses returned she rolled on the ground in agony. Her entire body was wracked with pain, and as she forced her eyes open, her torment further increased.

The Guardian lay a short distance from her, a shattered shell of what it had once been. Flames licked up from the wreckage, causing the thick smoke that had roused her. But as she forced herself unsteadily to her feet, her eyes fell upon a figure crumpled against a rock nearby.

Trying to force herself to run, but only managing to limp, Kitnee reached the figure. She immediately recognised it as the captain, and knelt down beside her. Arsenal had taken a severe wound to the head, and congealed blood had dried across her forehead. Kitnee immediately reached out to her neck, a wave of relief flooding through her as she felt a pulse against her fingers.

Wondering whether she ought to move the captain, Kitnee quickly began searching for other signs of trauma. Finding none, she turned back to the flaming wreckage of the ship.

"That's twice." she muttered to herself, "Was it coincidence that they attacked the ship I was on, or are they after me?" She began to feel a deep, inescapable sense of guilt flood through her.

She turned around as Arsenal groaned. Her eyes opened, and fell on Kitnee. She immediately tried to sit up, but Kitnee held her down.

"Don't move, captain. You've got a nasty wound on your head. You should rest a while."

"Where's Delphi? And Tide? Are they okay?" she gasped.

Kitnee looked at the ground, then shook her head.

"I don't know. They never came back."

A look of sadness crossed Arsenal's face for a split second, "We'd better move. Can you carry me?"

"Why? We're on a lump of rock with a few trees. We aren't going anywhere."

"We need to ge as far away from the ship as possible," seeing the confused look on Kitnee's face, she continued, "The gunpowder. If the flames reach that whilst we're still close, we're done for."

A look of surprise crossed Kitnee's face, and slinging one of Arsenal's arms around her, she helped her to her feet. Together, they staggered away from the ship.

But then came the sounds of another explosion, and the two of them threw themselves to the ground. They felt the shockwave blow over them, and they twisted in time to see the remains of the ship being blown from the island in a rising ball of flame.

***

"What was that?"

Hans turned to the horizon, watching as a ball of flame and smoke rose from one of the islands.

"Well, it looks like an explosion, doesn't it?" answered Centime.

"Yeah... Do you think it was a ship?"

Centime frowned, "Well, that island's uninhabited, so it can't be any locals. It must be a ship."

"Should we go over there?"

"Not just yet. Ships don't just crash anymore; it must've been a battle. Before we go, let's make sure we've allowed enough time for the winning ship to leave."

Hans nodded, "Okay. Should I start the ships engines?"

"No, I'll do that. I want you to tell your mother that we're going to be heading out for a little while."

Hans quickly left the deck of their ship, heading into the village of Horteka, as Centime started towards the bridge...

***

When Tide finally opened his eyes, he was greeted by a dark and dank cell. Directly above him, he saw Delphi's concerned face.

"Thank goodness, I was wondering if you'd ever come round."

Tide sat upright, feeling a throbbing pain in the back of his skull. He rubbed it with one hand, and propped himself up with the other.

"What happened?" he asked.

"What's the last thing you remember?"

"Err..." he thought hard, "We saw The Guardian..." his eyes widened, "The ship! The others!"

Delphi shook her head, "There's nothing we can do for them here, if they even made it."

"Where is 'here', exactly?"

"We're in the brig aboard that cruiser, The Grand Royal. Do you remember anything else?"

Tide cast his mind back to when he followed Delphi into the bridge.

"That man... Who was he?"

"He said his name was Nokra, and he said something about becoming the lord of Arcadia. I can only assume that he's out for world conquest."

Tide rolled his eyes, "Great. There's always one psychotic who wants it all, isn't there?"

"This isn't the time for jokes. We're being taken back to his base, wherever that is. And we're up for execution." Tide's face slackened as she said it.

"So this guy can't be in league with Emperor Enrique then, can he?"

"Doesn't look like it. I'd say he's acting alone."

"Why did he attack us? Did he say?"

Delphi shook her head, "No, not as such. I can only assume he's bearing some kind of grudge against Air Pirates in general."

"Fantastic." said Tide hollowly, "What a brilliant wakeup call that was."

"Tide, we have to get out of here. No doubt they've destroyed our lifeboat, so we'll need to take one of theirs."

"And I assume they let us keep our weapons to do that?"

Delphi's head dropped "No."

"Didn't think so."

"This place also has a Sylenis generator in it. We won't be able to use magic to escape."

"Gets better and better... Anything else I should know?"

Delphi looked him in the eyes, "As far as we are aware, Arsenal and Kitnee are dead. We have to assume we're on our own."

Tide looked angrily at the floor, "No, I won't believe that. They can't be dead."

"Tide, we have to face facts. Even if they are alive, they'll be stranded and unable to help. Like I said, we're on our own."

He knew she was right, but somehow couldn't bring himself to even contemplate that he'd lost two of his friends so suddenly. It wasn't right to him.

"Delphi..." he looked at her, not sure he wanted to know the answer to what he had to ask, "What are we going to do?"

"I don't know, Tide..." she leant back at the wall, seemingly lost in thought.

"I just... don't know.."

***

Arsenal estimated that about half an hour had gone by when the sound of engines snapped her out of her thoughts. Struggling to her feet, she motioned for Kitnee to join her.  
"Is that a ship?" asked Kitnee.

"It'd better be, or else this island has some very unusual wildlife." She stepped closer to the edge of the island.

"Careful, Captain. You can hardly walk. Standing on the edge may not be the greatest idea."

"Stop your worrying, I'm more concerned about the ship. If it's that Valuan ship, we could be in serious trouble."

"I don't think it will be," Kitnee brushed back her hair, "If it was them, they'd have come ages ago. They wouldn't have left it this long."

"Good point." Arsenal scowled, "In which case, we might be about to be rescued."

Then a battered ship rose into view, the wind from the exhausts causing the plants to flatten against the ground, and making Arsenal shift her feet to keep a steady balance.

Kitnee stepped beside her, her long hair flying freely behind her. Her eyes locked onto a man on deck, waving his arms.

"Ahoy there! Would you ladies be needing a lift?"

Arsenal grinned, "Hans, get your butt over here right now!" she shouted.

Kitnee's eyes widened, "You know him?"

"Who doesn't? His father is Centime-yes, _that_ Centime." she added as Kitnee stared, "The one who raises orphans as Blue Rogues."

"Oh, cool." Kitnee turned back to the ship as it came closer.

Arsenal gave her a sidelong smirk, "Let's get off this lump of rock."

***

"So that's what happened, huh?" asked Centime, pushing his glasses further up his nose.

Kitnee sipped her Loqua as Arsenal answered, "Yup. That ship blew us right out of the sky."

"Did you see the name?" asked Hans.

"No, but it was definitely a Valuan ship."

Centime propped his chin on his hands, "This is most disturbing. Yours isn't the first ship to be shot down by a Valuan cruiser."

"We've been hearing a lot of rumours about a ship called The Grand Royal in these parts." Hans shrugged his shoulders, "But that's all they are. Rumours."

Kitnee's eyes widened in surprise, "The Grand Royal?!"

Hans nodded, "You've heard of it?"

"Oh, I'm certainly familiar with it." she said darkly, "What do you know about it?"

"Not a lot," answered Centime, "Except that it supposedly berths on Moonstone Mountain to the south-west. If it's true, that could be where they're taking your friends."

Kitnee looked to Arsenal. Arsenal looked at her, "Before you ask, of course we're going."

"How will you get there without a ship?" asked Hans, brushing his brown hair aside as it fell in front of his eyes.

"Well..." said Arsenal, "I was kind of hoping that you could help us with that..."

***

Centime's ship hovered, not moving. In the distance, Moonstone Mountain was visible through the window. It rose high above the forest, but it's top was flat, like a kind of plateau.

"We'll take you as close as we can, but we'll have to bail out on you," said Centime, "This ship is manoeuvrable, it's true, but when it comes to armour, it's best not to press lady luck."

Kitnee nodded, "If you can just drop us off at the base, that should be okay."

"Hey, Kitnee. You seem a little eager to get there. What's up?" asked Arsenal.

Kitnee paused before answering, "I'm concerned about our friends."

Arsenal got the feeling that she wasn't telling everything, but decided to leave it.

***

"You're going to have to jump." said Hans, "We can't get you any closer than this."

Standing on the deck, Arsenal looked down. The pathway that led around the mountain seemed far away.

"Can't you get us closer? At all?" she asked hopefully.

"I'm afraid not." said Hans, "If we could, Dad would've done it by now."

"Hey, Arsenal," called Kitnee, "Look over there."

Following Kitnee's gaze, she saw three vines that snaked from the mountaintop and passed close to the walkway.

"That settles it then." she ran flat out to the edge of the deck, and then leapt out over the chasm below. Kitnee watched as she grasped one of the vines, which seemed to stretch under the sudden weight.

But it held.

Following suit, Kitnee charged to the edge as Arsenal had, then placed a boot on the side, and forced herself into a jump. She was frighteningly high, but she managed to keep her sights on the vine she had aimed for and grasped it as it came close.

The two of them started climbing down.

"Good job Tide isn't here!" called Arsenal.

Kitnee slid further down, "Why's that?!" she called back.

"He's terrified of heights! He'd have a heart attack if he had to do this!"

As they reached the pathway, they watched as Centime's ship began to move away.

"We're on our own now, my girl." said Arsenal, drawing the sword from her belt.

"Let's just hope that they were right, and that Tide and Delphi are here somewhere."

***

His hands cuffed behind his back, Tide was led along with a sword point disturbingly close to his spine. Delphi was next to him.

"Any bright ideas?" he asked hopefully. She shook her head, and Tide looked down at his boots as they rang out on the metallic gangway, "Damn."

"Quiet!" one of the guards kicked the back of his legs, forcing him to one knee, "If I hear another word, I'll rip you apart myself."

Tide grunted as he was dragged back to his feet, and started walking again.

After being led by seemingly endless corridors, they finally entered a tunnel that led deeper into the mountain. Rounding a corner, they saw two doors on either side, and a larger, heavier door at the end. They were led to one of the two smaller doors.

"Get in there," one of the guards opened the door, and another pushed the two of them inside, "If you're lucky, the boss'll forget you're in there and you'll starve to death."

Tide rounded on him, "And that's a _good_ thing because....?"

In a flash, a blade was at his throat. The guard was too close, much too close, for comfort.

"You continue to test my patience, boy," he hissed, "Be thankful we've let you live this long." The flat of the blade was pressed against his throat. The guard would only have to tilt it and his jugular would be severed, leaving him to bleed to death.

"But tomorrow," his voice began to sound eager with anticipation, "you won't really care what happens to you, because you'll be dead."

Tide tensed his muscles, "Then do it yourself now. Or are you a coward?"

The fist smashed across the side of his face, knocking him to the ground as he cried out in pain. He tried to scramble to his feet, but the chains that bound his hands only allowed him to sit.

"I promise, you'll regret that." he hissed.

The guard laughed, and stepped towards him, reaching down. Tide braced himself, but then the guard did something completely unexpected.

He reached out, and gently brushed a finger against Tide's lip. As he drew it away, Tide saw it was covered with his own blood.

"Tomorrow, a lot more of this shall cover the floor. I promise you."

Laughing, the guard marched out of the room, the door closing behind him.

Delphi stepped towards Tide, and crouched next to him.

"I don't know whether you're brave or stupid." she snapped, but then added more gently, "Are you alright?"

"A little banged up, but none the worse for wear." he managed a grin.

"Well, I hope that you can keep that attitude when you're a whole head shorter."

Tide shrugged, "Well, I doubt I'll be worrying once I'm dead. Are you sure you have no bright ideas?"

Delphi shook her head, "Positive. Our hands are bound behind our backs, which is going to make things awkward to say the least, especially if we try escaping."

"Well, I might have a solution to that."

Delphi looked at him, confused.

"Just bear with me." he said. And then he twisted himself so that he could prop his feet against the wall, and dragged his hands down to his thighs, feeling his muscles stretching and burning.

"Tide, what in the name of the moons are you doing?" asked Delphi wearily.

Then he started wriggling.

"Tide, please, you're worrying me."

"I... said... bear... with... me." he gasped, tucking his knees against his chest and bending his neck, "Ouch!" he suddenly cried.

"What?" asked Delphi.

"Nothing... Just kneed myself in the face." he grunted some more, dragging his wrists closer to his boots, "Just... a little further..."

His hands suddenly shot free, and he fell flatly against the floor. Grinning, he got to his feet, his hands now bound in front instead of behind.

"That's a neat party trick." smiled Delphi.

"Yeah... Can you do it?" he asked.

"I don't think so. In truth, you're surprisingly flexible."

Tide raised an eyebrow.

"Oh, you know what I mean!" she snapped.

"Yeah. Well, it might not do much good, but at least now I'm slightly better off."

"You'd better hope no guards come in and see you like that, otherwise they'll probably bind you much more securely."

Tide frowned, "Suppose I should be grateful there wasn't a ball and chain as well... that really would've made things awkward."

"So what now?" she asked.

"Well," he moved to one of the corners closest to the door, "we wait."

"For what?"

"For another guard to wander in."

"And then? You'll strangle him?"

Tide looked surprised, "Actually, yes."

Delphi nodded, "Well, what if he isn't alone?"

"Then I improvise! By the moons, Del, I swear you don't want to get out of here!"

"I do. I just want our heads attached when we do."

"They will be. Just leave it to me!" Tide grinned, and patted himself on the chest, "I'll have us out of here in no time!"

"Oh, great... Is this really what it's come to?" she sighed.

***

"So how many we got now?" the guard sipped is New World Loqua.

The other guard shrugged, "I'd say that's the fourth ship we've shot down in a fortnight. We're not doing bad, really."

"No... Lord Nokra certainly knows what he's doing doesn't he." the other guard didn't answer, "_Doesn't he_, Mika?"

"Huh? Oh, yeah, he does. Makes you wonder though, doesn't it? How does he know so much about them? And why does he want the Air Pirates dead?"

"Don't you ever listen to him?" Mika looked at him questioningly, "He explained it all already. Don't tell me you forgot?"

"Err..."

"Fine. He said that Lord Galcian was right to try ruling the world, because only under one ruler can the world efficiently move forward. And since it was those blasted Air Pirates that stopped Lord Galcian, Lord Nokra is eliminating them first."

"First? So what comes next? He doesn't want to call the Rains, does he?"

"Wouldn't matter if he did. The Moon Crystals were lost when the Silvite continent of Soltis sank to the bottom of Deep Sky."

"And the Moon Crystals...?"

"Don't you ever listen? They're extremely pure Moon Stones. Each crystal can summon the power of the Gigas that it represents."

"Ah," Mika nodded, "I remember the Gigas. Powerful bastards, weren't they?"

"Not powerful enough, clearly. Vyse defeated the lot of them with that ship, the Delphinus."

"I heard he beat two on the Little Jack."

"Oh, yeah... But then he got seriously lucky. That ship was good at avoiding attacks. It's own firepower was negligible."

"So if the crystals were lost, then how can Lord Nokra do anything?" asked Mika.

"Well, that's the clever bit." the other guard sipped some more Loqua, "If you go to the Sailors Guild, you'll be able to read up about a discovery that Vyse himself made in the Dark Rift. It's the Black Moonstone. We're not sure what element it commands, but if there's a black moonstone, then it stands to reason that there was once a black moon. You with me so far?" Mika nodded, "Good. Now before the Old World was destroyed by the original Rains of Destruction, it's likely that there was a continent underneath that moon. With a civilisation." Mika's eyes suddenly widened in realisation.

"Which means they may have made a black Moon Crystal!"

"Right. And if they did, then there's a Black Gigas. And since we know that the Black Moonstone in the Dark Rift can turn matter to anti-matter and positive energy to negative, there's a good chance it's the most powerful Gigas of the lot."

Mika's jaw dropped.

"You have to admit, Lord Nokra's got this all worked out, hasn't he?"

They both turned as they heard a bang from the cell down the tunnel.

"Hmm, that banging reminds me. Did you see that woman that was brought in? The one with the green hair?"

Mika grinned, "Yeah, she was a cutie. I might ask the boss if we can have some 'private time' before he kills her."

The banging repeated for several long seconds.

"Guess we should see what it is."

They both began marching towards the cell.

***

The door swung open, and two guards stepped inside. Delphi backed up against the wall opposite.

"Well well, what's going on here?" asked the first.

The second didn't get a chance to answer; a chain was suddenly around his throat, pressing against his windpipe. He gasped for breath as the other guard turned and raised his sword.

Tide ducked behind the guard he was holding as the sword was thrust at him, and he stepped around the other side, kicking the sword arm of his attacker. In surprise, the guard dropped the weapon. He began reached down for it, but was knocked into the doorframe as Delphi threw her body at him, her momentum causing her to fly through the open doorway and painfully hit the dirt outside it. Squirming, she turned to see Tide slam the guard he was holding into the doorframe. He dutifully collapsed on top of his comrade.

Bending over, Tide grasped the sword awkwardly in his cuffed hands.

"You think they have a key?" he asked hopefully.

"Well search them and find out, you dummy!" cried Delphi, rolling her eyes.

"And whilst you're at it, help me up! I can't do it with my hands bound!"

***

Kitnee pressed herself against the cliff as soon as she saw the fence. High, but made up of bars positioned like a cage, anyone on the other side would have a clear view of her approaching.

Arsenal followed suit, the only noise being the sound of her sword being drawn. She nudged Kitnee, who nodded, then peeped around the corner.

"It's clear," she said, darting towards the gates in the middle. The gates were thick metal, as high as the fence.

It was locked.

"How do we get in?" she asked herself. Arsenal answered.

"Apparently there's another way in further along this ridge. But well have to be careful - this place is supposedly rigged with traps."

Kitnee's face tightened, but she gave no other sign that she was concerned.

"Why don't I give you a boost over this gate? Then I'll find the other entrance."

"It isn't a good idea to split up," said Kitnee flatly, "We could get lost, or worse."

Arsenal nodded, "Under normal circumstances, I'd agree. But two of my crew could be there, and I'm not going to let them down. It'll be easier for us to search if we split up."

Kitnee sighed, and nodded. Arsenal crouched, carefully laying her sword on the ground beside her, and laced the fingers on both hands together in front of her. Kitnee placed a boot in her hands, tensed her legs, and forced herself to stand. Arsenal groaned a little with the effort, but slowly rose to her feet, Kitnee raising as she did.

"It's no good, still can't reach!" Kitnee cursed under her breath.

"Stand on my shoulder." grunted Arsenal.

"But..."

"Damn it, girl, do as you're told!"

Without wasting another moment, Kitnee gingerly placed her free leg on Arsenals shoulder, and used it to push herself up. Her hands caught the edge of the gate.

"Got it!"

"Okay, I'll see if I can help raise you." Twisting, Arsenal gripped the bottom of Kitnee's boot, and began to push up.

"It's working... nearly there!" suddenly the weight vanished from Arsenal's hands, and she looked up to see Kitnee vanishing over the top. Suddenly, she appeared on the other side of the fence.

"Go on. I'll try and find the other way in. If I can't make it, it looks like you'll be on your own."

Kitnee nodded, "Okay. Catch you later."

She turned, running towards a door cut into the rock wall behind her.

***

Delphi glanced at Tide. His face wore a frown, and he fidgeted from one foot to another, apparently unaware of what he was doing.

"Cut it out, you'll wear a hole."

"Huh?" Tide stared at her.

"In the floor."

"Oh." he forced himself to stop, and passed the sword to his other hand, "So, what do you suppose this is about?"

Delphi looked at the floor ahead. It was a metallic gangway, and split into three paths. They rejoined on the other side, but that wasn't what drew the eye. In the middle of two of the pathways was a large yellow circle, and the left pathway sported a yellow cross.

"I have no idea," she said honestly, and peered down into the space that the pathways spanned over. She saw three rail tracks, running directly underneath each pathway.

"I suppose that they could be trapdoors that make you fall."

Tide raised an eyebrow, "Must be hell for the guards here."

Despite herself, Delphi managed a weak smile, "So, do you want to go first, or shall I?"

Tide's feet began shuffling again, "Err..."

"It's okay, I'll go. I'll choose the cross."

"I doubt it'll be that obvious," he said, rubbing his wrists where the chains had bound him earlier.

"Then what do you suggest?" said Delphi, more than a hint of impatience in her voice.

Tide rubbed his chin thoughtfully, and then a smile spread across his face.

"Come with me. I have an idea."

He trotted back towards the cell, and after a moment Delphi reluctantly followed.

***

"I don't know if this is genius or madness." said Delphi, dragging one of the unconscious guards roughly across the metal gangways.

"Well you know what they say," Tide grinned, dragging the other guard just as harshly as Delphi, "There's a fine line between genius and insanity."

"And I think being in that cell has pushed you far beyond that line."

Tide grinned, "You just don't want to admit I'm right, and that I actually had a good idea."

Delphi had to admit that he was right. They'd got as far as they had solely because of him, but she'd be damned before she admitted it.

"You're just a lucky fool," she snapped, "It's surprising this place isn't crawling with guards."

"Yeah, I was thinking the same." Tide's grin suddenly turned to a worried frown, "I thought we'd have been caught by now."

They finally reached the three pathways.

"I'll take the middle circle," said Delphi decisively, "You check the cross."

Nodding, Tide shifted slightly to get a more comfortable hold, and then continued to drag the guard, unceremoniously dumping him onto the cross. For a second, nothing happened, but then the floor under him swung suddenly open, and Tide took a step back in alarm as the guard vanished. Finally peering through the hole, he saw a mine cart sliding down the rails, finally leaving his sight as it entered a tunnel bored into the rock.

He glanced sideways at Delphi.

"Well, that surprised me." he smiled weakly.

Delphi did the same as Tide, throwing the guard roughly onto the circle. Tide winced in anticipation; even if the floor wasn't designed to go through, the way Delphi threw that guard would surely cause the metalwork beneath to give way. To his relief, it held.

"That's the way," said Delphi, "Crafty, really. The one we thought was safe wasn't after all."

"What about him?" asked Tide, pointing to the unconscious guard.

"You go scout ahead, I'll take care of him."

Tide darted down the pathway, stepping through a metal door in the rock wall. Behind, he heard the sound of a crash, followed by the rolling of a mine cart down a track. Suddenly, Delphi was beside him.

"Fantastic job of scouting, a whole door ahead."

Tide smiled wryly, "No need for sarcasm. We're finally getting out of this place."

"Don't be so sure." cooed a voice from behind.

They both spun where they stood, and Tide's eyes narrowed with hate.

"You!" he spat, "Can't you just go away and die or something?!"

Nokra laughed, "Foolish Air Pirate. Do you really think you can escape this place? You aren't even close to the exit."

Delphi raised the sword she was carrying, "Don't come any closer!"

Nokra smiled, and slid two daggers lightly from his belt.

"These are yours, I believe?" he pointed the blades directly at Tide, "Tell me, would you like them back?"

Tide gritted his teeth, and tensed. He suddenly felt Delphi's and grasp his arm.

"Don't even think about it," she hissed fiercely, "Or have you forgotten what happened before?"

"Get out of here." said Tide flatly.

Delphi looked surprised "What?"

"Get out of here. I have an old score to settle. Find that ship, and take it. You're an Air Pirate like me, remember? Take the ship, and warn people." he glanced toward Nokra, who had slowly began to stride towards them. He suddenly pushed her roughly through the door.

"Go!"

She staggered, barely keeping her footing, but Tide slammed the door closed. Delphi began to scramble towards it, but she paused as a noise behind her caught her attention. Spinning, she saw three guards rounding a corner, each with their lances drawn...

***

Tide turned to face Nokra, lifting the sword in front of him.

"Those daggers are mine. I'll be taking them back, if you don't mind."

Nokra laughed again, "And believe me, Air Pirate, there are several ways I would enjoy giving them to you." His face suddenly hardened, and his eyes narrowed, "It is time for you to die." the seriousness in his voice threw Tide for a moment, but he quickly regained his composure. This time it was his turn to laugh.

"Don't be so sure, Nokra."

"I'm wondering," he said, striding casually toward Tide, turning to step over the safe platform, "If you'll be as easy to kill as the crew of that ship. I do hope you'll prove more of a challenge, although from how easily I beat you on my ship, I doubt you will."

Tide's grip tensed on the hilt of the sword, "So is this your evil plan? You're going to talk me to death?"

"You're insolence will not save you here, Air Pirate." he edged closer to Tide, who backed slowly away. Stopping himself, he planted his feet firmly on the metal gangway beneath him, and raised the sword.

__

What was it Arsenal always told me? His mind swam, trying to remember the lessons Arsenal had given him with her sword.

He didn't get chance to complete his thoughts, because at that very moment, Nokra lunged, daggers raised...

****

To be continued...


End file.
